Jordan Paul

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. —1 Corinthians 15:12–14

Dear Friends,

Boats and water are a prominent feature of biblical stories—Noah’s Ark, baptism, Jesus calming the storm, and more. Today’s reading from St. John’s Gospel is no exception. Jesus, appearing to his disciples on the shore after his resurrection, instructs them how to catch the fish that they had been struggling with. After helping the disciples catch the fish, Jesus invites them to the shore to share a meal.

These passages have given rise to the idea of the Church as a ship, traditionally called the Barque of St. Peter. One of my favorite depictions of the Barque is by an illustrator who goes by Baritus Catholic. The Barque is beset by stormy seas and the Leviathan but it is still sailing. It’s sailing away from the storm and into the sun, toward the safety of the shore, being guided by the figurehead of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In place of cannons, the portholes contain busts of the Twelve Apostles.

Both are powerful images. Jesus inviting his disciples to the safety of the shore in order to share a meal is a foretaste of what awaits them. But so is the Barque. The Apostles do not have easy lives just because of the Resurrection. Most of them, in their mission to spread the gospel, die brutal deaths. Despite that, they succeeded not only in that mission but also in the mission of keeping the Church alive to continue their work after their deaths.

It is the Resurrection that gives these images their power. Without it, the deaths of the apostles were, in the words of St. Paul, in vain. Without it, the Barque of St. Peter has still survived, but exists only for itself. Indeed, it is the Resurrection that gives shape and purpose to all aspects of Christian life. Without it, in the words of St. Paul, we are to be pitied.

As we move through the celebratory Easter season, we must remember the reason for our celebration. The Barque still floats. The shore still awaits. Christ is risen. Thanks be to God.

In Christ,

—Jordan